Sweet Revenge
by Bell Witch
Summary: Regulus Black wonders what suspicious things his brother has brought home from Diagon Alley.


Sweet Revenge

Written for the Candy is Dandy challenge posted by LiveJournal user Scribbulus Ink in July 2005. Participants were assigned a character and a type of candy mentioned in the Harry Potter books. This story contains no spoilers for "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."

Characters were created and are owned by JK Rowling. This work of fanfiction was written for fun.

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Regulus crept carefully through his brother's room. The floor was littered with discarded clothing, books, and bits of parchment in seeming disarray, although Regulus knew from experience that if he disturbed even one thing, his brother would somehow know.

Sirius had just returned from an outing and one of the parcels he'd returned with had looked quite suspicious to Regulus. At least, it wasn't from anyplace he knew in Diagon Alley. Had Sirius and those Gryffindor friends of his made a foray into the forbidden territory of Knockturn Alley? It didn't seem likely, but one never knew with Sirius—the older he grew, the more mad things he did.

The brothers had been close once, but that ended when Sirius somehow managed to be sorted into Gryffindor House when he went to Hogwarts. For generations, all the Blacks had been in Slytherin. Regulus had been terrified that he, too, would be incorrectly sorted but he was lucky. Regulus was proud to be in Slytherin; for all that he and his brother were school rivals. Things had got such that they were rivals at home as well and that was part of the reason for this errand. If he could get Sirius into trouble, then it was worth the risk of capture to find out what it was that his older sibling was hiding.

Regulus went through Sirius' desk methodically. The little packet wasn't anywhere he could see. He decided to look in the wardrobe next instead of under the bed because it seemed a more likely place to hide something small. He was never sure how long Sirius would be occupied in the kitchen, so he had to hurry. If only his brother wasn't so messy!

But there was his prize; a plain, white sack turned down at the top. What could it be? It might be joke shop items, but Regulus thought he'd recognise the packaging of such things since Sirius spent so many Galleons on them. This package was small but heavy for its size. It felt lumpy and the paper crinkled loudly in the closed room as he opened the top of the sack. What? They didn't look like dungbombs, but he didn't know what the little roundish lumps were. His forehead wrinkled in confusion--what was so important about these little yellow things that Sirius had to hide them?

A noise behind him made Regulus turn sharply, but he was too late. His brother was tall and strong, and Regulus was pinned with his face to the door of the wardrobe before he could blink.

"Spying, Regulus? Shame on you," Sirius said with a grin. He held the thirteen-year-old with one hand easily while he ruffled Regulus' hair with the other.

"Stop that!" Regulus squirmed.

"Make me." Sirius waited a few moments while his brother struggled, and laughed when the younger boy gave up. "Why were you looking through my things? What were you expecting to find?"

"Nothing."

"You lie." Sirius peered into his wardrobe and noticed the opened sack. "Oi, that's it, then? Well, if you're so curious, I'll let you in on my little secret." He reached into the sack and pulled out a small, round object.

"What is that?" Regulus asked despite himself. "Are they from a joke shop?"

Sirius laughed. "What do you think?"

Regulus shook his head. He had no idea.

"Open your mouth," Sirius ordered.

Regulus clamped his jaw shut. Definitely something disgusting, and Regulus held his mouth closed until the pain of Sirius' fingers on his face made him open up.

"Ouch! Mmf!" But he couldn't spit it out, as his older brother had put a hand across his lips after shoving in the little yellow egg. Regulus' eyes crossed. "Mitff memon?"

Sirius pulled his hand away. "Well, what do you think?"

"It's a sweet," Regulus said, shocked.

"What did you think it was, poison?" Sirius sounded amused. He laughed heartily at his little brother's perplexed expression. "Oh, don't worry, I'll give you something nasty next time. Now, get out of my room. Next time you come in here, you'll face a much worse torture than a sherbet lemon."


End file.
